This invention relates generally to a system for heating liquid contained in a tank or other vessel and, more specifically, to a system which is particularly adapted for industrial, commercial or institutional use for heating relatively large volumes of liquid. The system may, for example, be a water heating system, a milk sterilizer, a chemical processing system or any similar system requiring the heating of large volumes of liquid.
In many large liquid heating systems, steam is generated at a central heating plant and is distributed through several pipes to various tanks in which the liquid is heated. Because all of the pipes must be kept hot regardless of whether or not heat is required by a particular tank, a significant percentage of the heat generated at the central plant is lost through the distribution system and is not efficiently utilized to heat the liquid in the tank.